Protestsupdated 1h ago2 min read
Rioters Set Fire to Limoges City Hall as France Arrests Nearly 2,400 Over Cost-of-Living Protests
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Limoges city hall was set on fire during protests, destroying a historic 1883 building. France-wide unrest led to nearly 2,400 arrests, with clashes, looting, and arson reported.
Riots, arson, and arrests
Riots over rising living costs and declining public services swept across France over the weekend, with violence and looting breaking out in several cities and with more than 500,000 people taking to the streets. Rioters set fire to the city hall in Limoges, gutting the 19th-century building, and the roof and bell tower collapsed as the historic structure burned. France’s authorities reported almost 2,400 arrests after riots, looting and arson during cost-of-living protests, and the Interior Ministry said about 1,000 officers were injured.
President Emmanuel Macron told the nation that "Those who looted will have to pay back for the damage" and that "those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable." Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said around 550,000 people took part nationwide, while the CGT union put the figure at 800,000.
Limoges city hall attack
Rioters entered Limoges Town Hall, a historic building inaugurated in 1883, and set it on fire during France’s nationwide unrest. The fire engulfed the roof and the central tower, the tall Campanile [bell tower] that had towered over the building since the 1880s, collapsed in the blaze. Gilles Peignelin, 64, told the New York Times that "All we have left are pictures," as he stared at the ruin alongside his wife, Sylvie, 61.
Local prefect Maurice Barate told AFP that "The roof has collapsed onto lower floors, except the west wing, and two-thirds of the exterior has already disappeared," describing the act as a catastrophe for heritage. i24NEWS reported that masked individuals burned a municipal police vehicle, then entered the city hall and set it ablaze, while the roof and bell tower collapsed.
Political fallout and next steps
Macron addressed the nation again, saying "nothing justifies" the violence and promising "full transparency" on police's response to the protests. Marine Le Pen accused Jean-Luc Melenchon of having "legitimized the violence" and pledged to protect the French "from the violence of the extreme left." Jean-Luc Melenchon urged demonstrators to stay away from looting, calling it "contrary to our methods," after backing the demonstrations and preceding student protests.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said more than 150 police officers were injured, and he blamed the unrest on the “ultra-left” and criminals in a message on X. Business Insider warned that France’s unrest could make it harder for the government to restore confidence in its battered bond market, with French OATs described as "the punching bag in the ongoing selloff in sovereign bond markets."